Family Theridiidae - Cobweb or Comb-footed spiders
Non-native, Invasive
First found in Torrance, in Los Angeles County, in 2001, and has since become common in the Los Angeles Basin. The brown widow is a South African native that hitchhiked to the United States via travelers and trade. These spiders are occuring more frequently and may be taking over for the Black Widow in our area. I have observed both in the same areas throughout Long Beach. Both are highly venomous. The Brown Widows are common around my recycle, trash and compost bins. They seem to be timid and hide in crevices. It is hard to coax them out to photograph them. They look similar to Black widows but have banded legs. The egg cases are spikey which distinguishes them from the Black Window's which are smooth.
Here is a good guide to telling black from brown.
http://cisr.ucr.edu/identifying_brown_widow_spiders.html
All images © Kim Moore (contact for use)
